Newcastle-based industrial property firm HTA Real Estate has appointed Douglas Cranston as investment director.
Cranston, who has more than 20 years’ industry experience, previously held senior roles at MCM Group, Knight Frank and JLL.
In his new role, Cranston will lead the firm’s investment department, handling acquisitions and disposals on behalf of pension funds, property companies and private Individuals. He will also provide strategic asset management advice to property investors to help them enhance portfolio performance.
Cranston said: “Inflation is now at its lowest level since September 2021 and there is an expectation that interest rates have peaked, with some rate cuts potentially on their way before the end of the year. These factors have improved market sentiment and with prices stabilising, after a lengthy period of correction, I expect to see transactional volumes increase through 2024.
“The disparity in performance across property types is likely to persist in 2024. The priority in a polarised market is to identify those assets from both a sector and asset-quality perspective that will perform and provide the best returns in line with investor requirements.”
